Because warrant officers are selected based on merit & the Warrant Officer Corps is not currently diverse enough to satisfy the Marxist ideologue's agenda ( which is to diversify the military's senior ranks). There's no actual military purpose or necessity for it.

"The plan before Carter would direct each of the services to establish goals for race, ethnicity and gender among the officers it commissions to “reflect the diverse population in the United States eligible to serve in our military"."

Such as?? Why would someone sitting in front of a computer need to be uniformed military?

I'll be more specific,... why would a cyber warfare specialist need to be uniformed military?

Basically, the difference between Title 50 and Title 10 authorities. ie. The Senior Operations Officer on the NSA Watchfloor is either a GS-15 or an O6, the Director of Cyber Operations at the NSA NTOC is either a GS-15 or an O6, the Cyber Battle Captain at USCYBERCOM has to be a uniformed military officer (billeted as an O5) to execute Title 10 missions for DoD ... a contractor or GS cannot do it per law.

Even though it is via a computer, conduct of offensive operations is an execution of war power.

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

The same argument (inherently governmental function) was made & for all intents ignored when we outsourced a huge number of our IC core positions to private industry. For instance at one point the forward deployed billets of IC in Afghanistan were probably running 80% contracted. Legally pretty much everything but a Contracting Officer and the very senior decision maker positions can be outsourced.

However, if that's the concern than the vast majority of these positions can be filled with Federal employees can perform these functions at an equivalent salary to an E-7 or an 0-6.

Conduct of intel operations and offensive warfare (kinetic or non-kinetic) operations is different.

Non kinetic isn't as cool or sexy and kinetic ... but based on legal interpretation of war, degrading or destroying something that doesn't belong to us (US) is an execution of war power.

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

This is the only way I see this working without too much foaming at the mouth from the Mess, though I don't think they could stand someone coming out of Great Lakes as a CPO no matter their skill set.

Maybe bring on just enough personnel for a period of 3-5 years to build a Cyber Warfare community akin to Navy Medicine while training existing CTs and the like to take over with little to no direct accessions from the civilian sector after that period. Excepting the few individuals with skill and experience the Navy can't easily get from the inside.

A program kinda like that is already being done in the Navy (Cyber Warfare Engineers), start as O1, promote through O3, MUST offramp at O3 to something else. They can come on without a degree or if they complete a degree before mandatory offramp they can laterally transfer to another community (most likely IW or Intel)

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

Here's another possibility: why not make Cyber Warfare jobs a warrant officer program, where people can join as a warrant officer? SECDEF would have to force the Air Force's hand to bring back warrant officers to make this happen, but I don't think anyone but Air Force Generals would be bitching.

Many, if not most, warrant officers are not in charge of anyone away. They exist mostly, and many cases solely, for their technical expertise. Stuff like this is specifically what warrant officers were designed for.

So again... why not make them warrant officers?

Not a bad idea. A friend of a friend whose friend told him ... there is too much disparity between what would warrant someone brought on as an E5 and someone brought on as an O3/4 to make it work well. Allowing it for E4-O6 enables them to more appropriately place someone based on their qualifications they bring from the outside.

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

Because warrant officers are selected based on merit & the Warrant Officer Corps is not currently diverse enough to satisfy the Marxist ideologue's agenda ( which is to diversify the military's senior ranks). There's no actual military purpose or necessity for it.

Most of the time ... however the Army selects Warrant Officers for aviation duty as straight/entry level accessions.

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

Basically, the difference between Title 50 and Title 10 authorities. ie. The Senior Operations Officer on the NSA Watchfloor is either a GS-15 or an O6, the Director of Cyber Operations at the NSA NTOC is either a GS-15 or an O6, the Cyber Battle Captain at USCYBERCOM has to be a uniformed military officer (billeted as an O5) to execute Title 10 missions for DoD ... a contractor or GS cannot do it per law.

Even though it is via a computer, conduct of offensive operations is an execution of war power.

You are dodging the question.

First of all, a law is not a commandment. Laws can be changed. Secondly, this discussion is about the cyber warfare specialists, i.e. the people who actually do the work. We're not talking about some dumbshit O-5 or O-6 who just sits around drinking coffee and taking credit for all the work that other people are doing. Third, do you really think that that the CIA is not already heavily involved in cyberwarfare, including offensive cyber operations?

In 1960, Francis Gary Powers was sitting in a U-2 over the Soviet Union, and he was not "uniformed military" at that time.

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others

First of all, a law is not a commandment. Laws can be changed. Secondly, this discussion is about the cyber warfare specialists, i.e. the people who actually do the work. We're not talking about some dumbshit O-5 or O-6 who just sits around drinking coffee and taking credit for all the work that other people are doing. Third, do you really think that that the CIA is not already heavily involved in cyberwarfare, including offensive cyber operations?

In 1960, Francis Gary Powers was sitting in a U-2 over the Soviet Union, and he was not "uniformed military" at that time.

I am not avoiding your question, I have to be vague because of the platform we are communicating on ... plain and simple.

A couple of points:

Yes, laws are not commandments ... but we are (supposed to be) a society of laws.

I would imagine, that the CIA already is involved in cyber operations, they would be conducting covert operations. Title 50

No, Francis Gary Powers was not a uniformed officer, he was not conducting an offensive mission either ... he was conducting an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission. Covert operations. Title 50

Offensive Cyber Operations by the U.S. Military are overt military operations. Title 10

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

I am not avoiding your question, I have to be vague because of the platform we are communicating on ... plain and simple.

A couple of points:

Yes, laws are not commandments ... but we are (supposed to be) a society of laws.

I would imagine, that the CIA already is involved in cyber operations, they would be conducting covert operations. Title 50

No, Francis Gary Powers was not a uniformed officer, he was not conducting an offensive mission either ... he was conducting an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission. Covert operations. Title 50

Offensive Cyber Operations by the U.S. Military are overt military operations. Title 10

The point that I am making, and the point that you are avoiding, is that the cyber warfare specialists, i.e. the worker bees, can be civilians.

Originally Posted by Mjölnir

I would imagine, that the CIA already is involved in cyber operations, they would be conducting covert operations. Title 50

Offensive Cyber Operations by the U.S. Military are overt military operations. Title 10

Do you really believe that the CIA is not conducting Offensive Cyber Operations, especially against ISIS?

Last edited by USN - Retired; 06-22-2016 at 05:38 PM.

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others